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Almost Half of Millennials Purchase Holidays on Mobile

48 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds planned holidays and travel using their smartphone in the past year, with 51 per cent of all consumers regularly using two or more devices for planning and booking trips.

The figures come from real-time marketing firm Signal, which surveyed 2,000 UK consumers to shed light on how travel planning and booking patterns were changing in the multi-device world.

While desktop is still the device of choice for planning and booking travel, mobile is playing an increasingly large part of the process. 42 per cent of consumers are using their smartphones more frequently than they did last year to book airline tickets and hotel rooms, compared to just 15 per cent using their desktop more.

Millennials lead the pack when it comes to booking via smartphone, with 46 per cent using mobile to buy holidays, compared to 28 per cent in the 35 to 44 age bracket. 55 per cent of millennials will use more than one device when planning and booking, compared to only 21 per cent of those aged 65 to 74.

"Travellers rely on digital devices more than they ever have," said Neil Joyce, senior vice president for the Americas, UK and EMEA at Signal. "They're using multiple screens to compare prices, book tickets and accommodations, and even make upgrades or additional purchases after they book.

"This puts pressure on travel suppliers to recognise travellers as they move across devices, and create seamless, one-to-one experiences – pressure that will only increase in a future driven by the mobile-first generation. However, travel marketers have a huge opportunity to use the rich customer data at their fingertips to deliver meaningful, relevant experiences everywhere consumers interact."

The research also found that consumers crave tailored travel booking experiences and bespoke special offers, with 29 per cent of millennials saying they most desire a booking experience that is customised to their needs and preferences.